It’s here. The most wonderful and most terrible time of the year, the time of the year when Valve looks at your bank account and decides it’s getting just a bit too hefty: The Steam Summer Sale. Currently it’s crashing the servers, because of course it is, but that’s important, because it will give you time to regroup and maybe be able to make rent this month. Here’s how to strategize and get the most out of the sale.

Check Your Specs

If you don’t have a high-end PC, take a moment to pop open that system specs tab and look at just what your PC can handle. There’s no point in buying BioShock Infinite, no matter how cheap it may be ($30, if you were wondering), if it’s going to look at your processor and tell you to get stuffed. Nothing’s more disappointing than getting a game you can’t play.

Look Up Other Sales

Some sites are going to try and steal Valve’s thunder this go-round. For example, that $30 price for BioShock Infiniteis matched by Green Man Gaming, and they have a promo code that saves you $6, GMG20-F202F-UI40F. So, before buying anything, double-check places like GMG and Good Old Games, especially for major deals.

Remember That Discounts Are Relatively Common on Steam

Another point that people rarely remember is that it’s not like you won’t see these sales again. Every popular game on Steam gets a discount, especially as prices drop. Today’s $20 game will sink to $15 and then $10, eventually, and then be discounted in yet another Steam sale, probably within a year. So if you can hold off… hold off.

Keep these tips in mind and you should be able to pay your bills and add a whole bunch of new games to your library. Or if not, you should probably go with the gas bill. It’s summer, you can eat from the microwave for a month.